The Charterhouse of Parma is a novel written by Stendhal in 1839 on the spur of the moment in just 52 days. The novel deals with Fabrice del Dongo, a young visionary wanting to join Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. Sadly, he doesn’t realize he’s not fit for the army, being swindled and robbed by burglars and his fellow soldiers and witnessing a whole pandemonium instead of the noble battle he expected. The book goes on, but it’s difficult to summarize it without starting to explain the whole plot. Let’s just say it involves a prison, love, political intrigue and conspiracies.